1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image forming devices including duplicators, printers, and facsimiles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent image forming devices are provided with a great number of functions for image forming operation that can be set according to need. These include functions ranging from those having relatively high frequency of use such as xe2x80x9cDensity settingxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cReduction/Enlargementxe2x80x9d to those less frequently used such as xe2x80x9cBlack-white inversionxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cMirror imagexe2x80x9d, etc.
Meanwhile, buttons for setting those functions are usually provided on the operation panel of the device.
In many cases, recent devices adopt so-called touch-panel type liquid crystal display sections, and the function setting buttons are displayed and operated on the liquid crystal display sections.
Although the display area of the liquid crystal display section is relatively wide, due to the large number of functions to be displayed, displaying all the functions on a single screen is impossible. Or, even when they can be displayed, it is difficult to find out a desired function from among the functions being displayed.
In order to eliminate such drawbacks, some conventional devices have display sections that can be switched among a plural number of screens so that a certain kind of functions are displayed on one screen and another kind of functions are displayed on another screen.
However, in the above way of displaying, since screens and functions displayed on the screens are fixedly related to each other, it causes the user to have difficulty in finding out a screen that includes a function that the user wishes to use.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a user-friendly image forming device that allows the user to easily locate functions that the user wishes to use on the display screen.
(1) An image forming device according to the present invention comprises a display section that can be switched at least between a first screen and a second screen, and is capable of displaying functions selected by function selecting means from among a plurality of functions on the first screen.
In this arrangement, functions selected by the user are displayed on the first screen, and functions that are not selected are displayed on other screens such as the second screen. Accordingly, by selecting functions that the user frequently uses, the user can have the selected, frequently used functions always displayed on the first screen. The image forming device therefore allows easy function setting and is easy to use.
In addition, functions that are not selected by the user are to be displayed on other screens such as the second screen. Accordingly, when the user wishes to set a function that the user has not selected, he or she can switch the screen to another screen such as the second screen.
The plurality of functions mentioned above may be divided into a plurality of predetermined basic functions that are frequently used and functions other than those basic functions so that functions selected from among the basic functions are displayed on the first screen and functions in the basic functions that are not selected are displayed on the second screen. In this arrangement, all functions displayed on the first screen and the second screen are the basic functions. Functions selected from among the basic functions by the user are displayed on the first screen, and functions in the basic functions that are not selected by the user are displayed on the second screen. Accordingly, when usual image forming is carried out, the user can have the first screen displayed so as to set necessary basic functions. When the user wants to set basic functions that are less frequently used than the selected basic functions, the user can have the second screen displayed. Accordingly, the user can set necessary functions only by having the first screen or the second screen displayed.
When increasing functions displayed on the second screen is desired, it can be achieved by making the second screen additionally display functions other than the basic functions, which provides the image forming device with better operationality.
In addition, when unusual usage or special setting is desired, it is possible to make a third screen display functions for such purposes so that the user can set necessary functions on the third screen.
As described so far, according to the present invention, functions to be set for image forming operation are displayed in an easily understandable manner, as well as displayed on the first screen or the second screen according to the user""s preference. It is therefore possible to provide a user-friendly image forming device with good operationality.
(2) An image forming device according to another aspect of the present invention comprises a display section that can be switched at least between a first screen and a second screen, and function execution counting means for counting the number of times each of the plurality of functions is executed along with execution of the image forming operation, in which, based on the count of each of the functions counted by the function execution counting means, frequently used functions are displayed on the first screen and functions that have not been selected for the first screen are displayed on other screens such as the second screen.
Frequently used functions may change variously depending on the environment in which the device is used. In other words, a function that is frequently used in an environment is not necessarily used as often in another environment.
In the present invention, with the above factor taken into account, counting is carried out in order to determine which function is used how many times in the environment where the image forming device is used so that frequently used functions are automatically displayed on the first screen based on the results of the counting. That is, the image forming device according to this invention has a learning function so that frequently used functions are always displayed on the first screen irrespective of the environment in which the device is used. Accordingly, the image forming device according to this invention allows easy setting of functions in various environments and is therefore user-friendly.
The plurality of functions above may be divided into predetermined, frequently used basic functions and other functions, and the function execution counting means may be of the kind that counts the number of times the basic functions are executed. By limiting functions possible to be displayed on the first screen to the basic functions, confusion due to various changes in displayed functions on the first screen can be prevented. Generally, while using an image forming device for a long time, the user learns which function is displayed in which part of the display section. Accordingly, varying the functions displayed on the screen according to the frequency of use does not necessarily improve the operationality. By giving such a limit to the functions possible to be displayed on the first screen, the operationality of the image forming device is often improved.
The display control means mentioned above may be arranged such that on condition that the count of a function counted by the function execution counting means exceeds a prescribed minimum count, the function is determined to be frequently used and is displayed on the first screen, and functions that are not selected for the first screen are displayed on the second screen or screens thereafter. This is because there may be cases where the counts are small such as when it is shortly after the purchase of the image forming device, and in such cases, the locations of the functions displayed on the screen frequently change making the operation even harder.
The function execution counting means may be arranged so as to reset the counts after the frequently used functions are displayed on the first screen by the display control means. Unless they are reset, the values of the counters simply keep increasing so that the functions are unlikely to be rearranged according to the most recent record of usage.
(3) An image forming device according to another aspect of this invention includes a direct set-value designating button provided on the screen for directly designating a set value which is preliminarily allocated to a specific setting item of a specific function, in which the number of times the image forming operation has been executed with a set value being designated is counted in conjunction with the set value so that the set value to be allocated to the direct set-value designating button is varied based on the number of times counted with the set value above being designated.
Since this direct set-value designating button is always displayed, for example, on the first screen in the plurality of selectable screens, a specific set value can be directly designated without opening the condition setting screen for that function.
However, regarding the condition setting for each function, it is not always the case that a set value (a certain magnification in Reduction/Enlargement) frequently used in an environment is used as often in another environment.
Therefore, which set value is designated how many times in the environment where the image forming device is used is counted individually. Based on the results of the counting, set value control means can allocate a frequently designated set value to the direct set-value designating button. That is, the device can learn which set value is frequently used in which environment so that a frequently used set value is always allocated to the direct set-value designating button.
The set value control means should preferably vary the set value to be allocated to the direct set-value designating button on condition that the count value counted by the set value designation counting means exceeds a prescribed minimum count. This is because there may be cases where the counts are small such as when it is shortly after the purchase of the image forming device, and in such cases, the allocation of the set value changes so frequently that the operation becomes even harder.
The set-value designation counting means should preferably reset the counts after the set value to be allocated to the direct set-value designating button is varied by the set value control means. This is because unless they are reset, the values of the counters simply keep increasing, which makes it impossible to allocate a set value reflecting the most recent record of usage.
Structural details of the present invention are hereinafter described referring to the appended drawings.